Think the CarFax report you just paid for is accurate?

Before you even think of ordering one, read my story – it will save you at the very minimum $39.99 and keep you from losing thousands of dollars! Don’t learn the hard way! Millions of customers order a CARFAX Vehicle History Report according to their website; however, CARFAX is the most expensive way to get […]

Looking for quick SEO options?

Everyone wants the easy way – right, show me the money! How many times in our career have we heard about the new opportunity that could make you millions?  I mean who hasn’t sat through a presentation that required you to go out and get two people, help them recruit two more people at the promise […]

How to get the most traffic to your site, SEO tips

Many years ago, if you wanted more business leads you would just fork out big money and buy the biggest color ad in the phonebook.   Traffic could be bought with a slick color ad that was first to appear in the section.  If you were not one of those big color ads, you still had a […]

Buying versus selling, why you should know the difference!

Focus your effort on buying versus selling. You don’t want to sell your customers anything, you want your customers to buy from you.  Huge difference! Let’s start off by explaining the difference between buying and selling.  I personally hate to be sold anything, being sold means that I was put in a position where someone […]

Networking can add value in more ways than one

Much of the discussion that online blogs focus on is social networking.   While social networking is very important, it is also a good idea to tend to the traditional forms of networking as well.   Find people who have access to the markets that you want or need and seek them out.  Trade for access to […]

The practice of drip marketing

Drip marketing is one of the most important marketing efforts that you can begin in today’s market.   The idea behind drip marketing as you acquire prospects, you add them to your prospect list and then begin to send them information automatically.   So many salespeople make contact with prospects once and if they don’t get a […]

Tip #3 Turn every phone call into a sales call

You would be surprised at the number of times that a routine call can be turned into an opportunity.  Although it may start out to be an ordinary service call,  businesses should always ask for an up-sell – even if it is not a specific up-sell, it can be a general up-sell.  Have everyone in […]

Don’t sell yourself short

Often times when we get in front of prospects the first time we are eager to share what we know and how our products and services will help them more than any other product/service.   Why it is that our product is so much better then the competitors.  While this is all very important, it is […]

Response time could be the difference!

In today’s society it seems as though everyone wants everything yesterday.  The use of smart phones that have access to email and texting lend a hand in that immediacy that everyone comes to expect.  Statistics show that a person will read and respond to their email in about 90 minutes, however they will read and respond […]

Athletes and salespeople – two peas in a pod

The best salespeople and professional athletes have a lot in common: 1.  Game Plan – in any game of sports, all athletes will go into the game or competition with some sort of game plan.  That plan is what they have been focusing on and preparing for a long time. For the game plan you scout […]

Tip #11 Sometimes it is a perceived bargain

We all tend to know a bargain when we see one – or so we think.  Often times retailers will play a trick on us where they will take two products that have many of the same features, but one is much more expensive.   What that does is make you look at the less expensive […]

Tip #10 A smile goes a long way

I was shopping over the holidays at the mall, I will not say what store, but when I got up to the checkout the young cashier was not at all personable. She did not smile, acted like she did not want to be there and had better things to do then to take my money.  It seriously […]

Tip #9 Everyone needs skin in the game or incentive

To illustrate this point, I would like to share a quick story.  (I am sorry its insurance related so I will try to exclude jargon) I was talking to a friend the other day that works for a captive agency.  (i.e company that only represents one carrier)  This person gets a lot of business through […]

Tip #8 Build your literature arsenal

Thinking about marketing, it is important to build your literature arsenal.  Having information at your fingertips will help you when you develop sell sheets, marketing material, brochures and put together your email marketing campaigns.   I think one of the biggest assets when you are trying to develop a promotional piece to help a writer’s block […]

Tip #7 Best form of marketing is referrals

It is very easy to get caught up in the sales process and lose sight of all the things you should be doing in the close of a sale.  This goes back to altering your sales pitch and making sure that you are asking for referrals at the time of the sale.   If you need […]

Tip #6 Thank you notes are potent business tools

Thank you notes do go a long way ! You may think that business thank you notes are a thing of the past – think again!  A very nice handwritten business thank you note is simply business etiquette.  It is a serious strategy that will distinguish you from the competition. In today’s world of electronic […]

Tip #5 Overcoming “price” objections

How to overcome the “price” objective with people – Most people will always look to find the lowest price and sometimes that is merely a smoke screen objection to something else.  I saw this in one of my agency’s in my travel over the past ten years -so its not original, however I think it […]

Tip #4 Adding incentives and tracking

As I suggested in the last tip, make every call a sales call.  In order to help make this a habit, I suggest that you ask your employees to track what they ask and the result.  Soon, you will start to see some trends such as which call to actions work better than others.   After you […]

Tip #3 Turn every phone call into a sales call

You would be surprised at the number of times that a routine call can be turned into an opportunity.  Although it may start out to be an ordinary service call,  businesses should always ask for an up-sell – even if it is not a specific up-sell, it can be a general up-sell.  Have everyone in […]

Tip #2 Building your database

Just as important as building your visibility and community, it is very important that you start collecting certain customer info for your database, specifically emails.     As we build a strategy and work on the goals that your company has, this information will play a vital role in some of the goals that you may set.   Some […]

Tip #5 Overcoming “price” objections

How to overcome the “price” objective with people – Most people will always look to find the lowest price and sometimes that is merely a smoke screen objection to something else.  I saw this in one of my agency’s in my travel over the past ten years -so its not original, however I think it […]

How to get an unlimited amount of leads for free !

Yes, you read it correctly – free leads!   How many times have you purchased a lead list only to not really get good quality leads or not get what exactly you wanted to get.  Since I have been talking about prospecting, cold calling and lead generation, I figured this would be a good time to show […]

Local search – how to claim your space

Claiming your space will bring your business visibility Focusing your attention to your web page, which is the centerpiece of your online presence, and paying attention to the important design elements  when building your web page is very important.  The last step to making sure that your business is visible on the Internet is claiming […]